It is known to be desirable to monitor the condition of various assets in agricultural industries. In one example when grains are stored in storage bins, it is particularly desirable to monitor the heating of the contents of those bins to avoid spoilage of the grain, and resulting diminished quality of the grain. Moisture can also contribute to spoilage and is also desired to be monitored. Additional conditions such as carbon dioxide content are also occasionally monitored to detect conditions which might be indicative of spoilage.
A common method of monitoring within a grain storage bin is to provide a condition sensor array in the form of one or more cables which are vertically suspended within the grain bin and which support condition sensors at vertically spaced apart positions along the cable at designated heights. The cable incorporates a data communication wire in communication between all of the sensors along the cable and an output end of the cable typically located externally of the bin within reach of an operator standing on the ground beside the bin.
One known method for retrieving the data is to make use of a handheld grain temperature monitoring device available by OPI Systems Inc., under the trade name StorMax™. The handheld monitoring device is a dedicated unit including an internal processor and a display which is intended to be connected to the output end of the cable for reading sensed conditions from the cable and either storing or displaying the data on the handheld unit. A subsequent connection is required between the handheld device and a personal computer of the operator in order to transfer data. The dedicated use of the hardware forming the handheld device is limited to its use with sensor cables such that it is a costly accessory. Furthermore, the device is time consuming and awkward to use where it is desired to simply record the data on a personal computer.